There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 251

< Dragon Throne (1) >

The situation in Ryukyu was truly complex and bizarre.

“Ooso (Wang Yingzu)! I have returned! I will destroy the usurper!”

The usurper Oeiji (Wang Yingzi) of Nanzan was already dead, and his son Ooso had ascended to the throne.

On Sado, returning in triumph with the support of mercenaries, didn’t give the enemy any time to prepare.

“Charge!”

On Sado majestically commanded, or rather, ‘requested,’ and the Joseon army simply began their offensive according to the plan.

“Oh, Husa-to, you… daring to bring in foreign powers, you will be punished by heaven!”

Although it was enemy territory and On Sado’s power had long been uprooted, Nanzan was too weak a nation.

As it was a fight between royal families, the local magnates’ reactions were lukewarm, so Oeiji had no choice but to vent his frustration and flee.

“Hahaha! What did I say! I told you that taking over Nanzan would be a piece of cake once I returned!”

Up to this point, everyone had expected it.

However, there was something else that was not expected.

“How dare a deposed prince usurp the throne of Nanzan with the backing of the Joseon army?”

Unexpectedly, Prince Shohashi (Shang Bazhi), the de facto ruler of Chuzan, became enraged.

Originally, the Sho clan came from the local magnates of Nanzan and had helped Oeiji in every way when he usurped the throne of Nanzan.

And then they invaded the neighboring country of Chuzan and seized the throne, truly making them experts in usurpation of this era.

When the Nanzan king they had established was ousted and requested help, Prince Shohashi of Chuzan immediately raised a large army.

The Joseon army was taken aback by their swift movement.

So taken aback that they even sent this request to On Sado, whom they had been treating like a human royal seal.

“Your Majesty, King of Nanzan, please urge the local magnates to gather troops quickly!”

On Sado, whose dream of unifying Ryukyu and everything else was at stake, requested help from the local magnates of Nanzan, but they, who had been watching during the civil war, were unlikely to lend a hand.

On Sado not only failed to receive assistance but only proved that he was a puppet.

Meanwhile, the Chuzan army advanced in rapid strides to Shimagiri Ohusato, the capital of Nanzan, without any hindrance.

The Joseon army tried to negotiate to protect the cause of On Sado’s restoration and the interests of Nanzan as much as possible, but

“Joseon has no quarrel with us, so why are you interfering in Ryukyu’s affairs? Return at once!”

“We have come by the order of His Majesty the King of Joseon to eliminate the traitor and fulfill the duty between father and son, so how can we withdraw!”

“Words are useless. Charge!”

Shohashi judged that the Joseon army had not understood the warning to ‘immediately withdraw from Nanzan’ and immediately launched an attack.

“Prepare for battle!”

Soon, a great battle that would determine the fate of Ryukyu unfolded, and

“N, no way…”

“Cavalry! The Joseon cavalry is charging in!”

The Joseon army, clashing near the capital, simply crushed the Chuzan army.

It wasn’t just the people of Chuzan who were surprised.

“Why are these guys so weak?”

There was an enormous gap between the Joseon army and the Ryukyu army than expected.

“I heard that the troops we just defeated were scraped together from all over Chuzan.”

Two hundred years later, the unified Ryukyu mobilized 4,000 troops to resist the Satsuma invasion. [The Satsuma invasion of 1609 marked the beginning of Ryukyu’s subordination to the Satsuma Domain of Japan.]

Even then, they were divided into three, and Chuzan in this era, with a smaller population and less centralization than in the 17th century, gathered 1,000 troops for a do-or-die battle, only to be annihilated like dogs after facing the Joseon army.

“As expected of the army of the parent country! Now is the perfect opportunity, with the enemy’s main force annihilated in one battle! Let’s advance to Naha and root them out!”

“…Is this right?”

The Joseon army, while harboring such doubts, continued to advance north.

King Shosho of Chuzan had no time to be shocked by the news of his son’s disappearance and the crushing defeat, and he quickly established countermeasures.

“Q, quickly gather the supplies outside the castle! We must firmly defend Shuri Castle and request reinforcements from both inside and outside!”

However, the vassals did not move.

Instead, they simply asked Shosho this.

“The Joseon army wields barbarians and Japanese in both hands and uses gunpowder to kill our soldiers indiscriminately. Do we really have a chance of winning?”

“Fortunately, we still have troops to defend the castle. If I personally offer tribute and divide the land to request aid from Hokuzan, they will not refuse!”

“If the Hokuzan army comes, can we win?”

When the vassals asked, Shosho fell silent.

“Your Majesty, now that the country’s army has been defeated, even if Hokuzan defeats the Joseon army, there is no guarantee that they will return with just a piece of land and the courtesy of a vassal.”

“Clearly, Hokuzan will use the pretext of grace to bring troops into Shuri Castle and take Your Majesty away. If we refuse, a battle will break out.

At that point, we will truly be unable to avoid national extinction. Wouldn’t it be better to surrender to the great nation of Joseon?”

“…”

Shosho was merely placed on the throne of Chuzan thanks to the usurpation of his heroic son, Shohashi.

He was not the kind of person who could lead the resistance by controlling the uncooperative vassals.

In the end, before the Joseon army even arrived, he wrote and sent a letter of surrender, and On Sado entered Shuri Castle, dancing with joy.

“Not long after recovering the throne of Nanzan, Chuzan even surrendered on its own, so the entire Ryukyu kingdom is now in Your Majesty’s hands.”

“All that remains is the Northern Barbarians (Hokuzan), but with two-thirds of Ryukyu under Your Majesty’s control, it is only a matter of time before they are subjugated.”

“At this point, shouldn’t you rightfully claim the title of King of Ryukyu?”

“Hmm, is that so?”

At the request of Maae and a handful of his retainers, On Sado reluctantly proclaimed himself King of Ryukyu.

He even sent a delegation to Joseon in the name of the King of Ryukyu to offer condolences, and On Sado’s heart was filled with pride and satisfaction.

Whether he did so or not, the Joseon army, which had effectively seized control of Chuzan and Nanzan, was on the verge of collapse due to a shortage of troops and an increase in administrative areas, and some time later, this situation was reported to the home country.

===

I had been hearing fragmented news all along, but after grasping the series of events, I let out a hollow laugh.

‘When the throne of Nanzan was usurped, Chuzan also had a hand in it?’

I don’t know if On Sado didn’t know because he was young or if he just didn’t mention it, but anyway, when I came to my senses, our soldiers had destroyed Chuzan.

Lee Chun-woo, who was watching my reaction, said.

“Since the King of Chuzan was originally a usurper, wouldn’t it be right for our soldiers to punish him properly?”

“No, that’s not the problem right now.”

We just blew up a country that was doing well in diplomacy with us.

‘Even though we were hit first.’

It couldn’t be helped since we couldn’t negotiate halfway when Chuzan invaded, but it’s absurd that it led to destruction.

‘This is Chuzan’s fault.’

Were there even 500 of our soldiers there?

Chuzan scraped together a little over a thousand troops, so considering the combat power, it’s not incomprehensible.

I asked Maae, who came as an envoy.

“What is the situation in Ryukyu?”

“The local magnates of Chuzan and Nanzan have already sworn allegiance to His Majesty. The court in Shuri has given them official positions to encourage them.”

On Sado established the capital in Shuri Castle in Chuzan.

Since On Sado has no real base in Ryukyu in the first place, it wouldn’t be a bad choice for him to settle there without clinging to Nanzan.

But that’s it.

“Still, we have nothing to lose, Your Highness.”

From this perspective, On Sado, who didn’t lift a finger and gained without any soldiers under his command, seems like the winner, but in reality, that’s not the case.

The land where King Shosho of Chuzan, King Ooso of Nanzan, and the local magnates who cooperated with them were swept away was all occupied by us.

All that was handed over to On Sado was the empty Shuri Castle, and the Cheonghaejin [a Joseon naval base] established its base in the surrounding hinterland.

The captured ‘traitors’ will be working in the sugarcane gulags there.

Poor guys.

“Since we have swallowed not only the tiny land of Nanzan but also Chuzan, the land for growing sugar has greatly increased.

So, I would like to request…”

Lee Chun-woo carefully opened his mouth.

“Are you saying you want me to allow additional dispatch of troops?”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

It’s awkward to have this conversation with Lee Chun-woo, not Maae, who is the official envoy from Ryukyu, but it can’t be helped.

Frankly, even if On Sado came in person instead of Maae, that man has no real power.

“To prevent the invasion of Hokuzan in advance, at least 500 more troops must be stationed.”

“Well, since Nanzan has swallowed Chuzan, Hokuzan won’t stand still.”

Even though King On Sado is a puppet, the combination of the two countries is not to be taken lightly.

Hokuzan doesn’t want to die sitting down, so there’s a high probability that they’ll invade.

I heard that Hokuzan also has extreme conflicts with the local magnates, so I don’t know when that will be.

“In addition, the local magnates of Chuzan and Nanzan have sworn allegiance to the King of Ryukyu, but they are by no means trustworthy people.”

Maae seems confident, but I guarantee that if our soldiers leave, a civil war will break out within three days, and the Ryukyu court in Shuri will all die and fall apart.

“I will grant Wanseongun’s request. When farms are created in each region, we will also have to send laborers, so we will have to increase the number of security forces.”

I nodded readily and said.

We could hire Ryukyuans or outsource to the local magnates, but to create plantation farms, we would need more labor.

I was planning to send manpower procured from outside Ryukyu.

The troublesome Ryukyu problem wasn’t the end of it.

‘Sending the Sho clan to Joseon.’

On Sado sent Shosho and his family.

It was revenge for the fact that the Nanzan royal family had no choice but to seek refuge in Joseon decades ago to escape usurpation.

The main culprits of the usurpation, such as Ooso, were sent to the gulags without any such consideration, but Shosho was considered for having surrendered first.

I looked at Maae and asked.

“How does the King of Ryukyu wish to dispose of them?”

“They were sent on the charge of daring to attack the army of the suzerain state, so His Majesty has already entrusted their disposal to the suzerain state. Dispose of them as you wish.”

Nominally, it’s not revenge but sending them for the crime of opposing us.

Perhaps On Sado wants to kill them all, but I don’t think it’s necessary to go that far.

“Although they have been defeated, they were once the king of a country, so we cannot treat them carelessly. Just as King Taejo protected the King of Nanzan, give them a house and land to take care of them.”

I ordered.

===

“Was there anything else of note?”

I replied to Lee Bang-won’s question.

“He says that when the envoy comes to offer condolences to King Taejo in a few days, he will go to Ming together to request investiture [formal recognition of a ruler by the Chinese emperor].”

On Sado is calling himself the King of Ryukyu, but he has not yet received investiture from Ming.

So, while he sent Maae to Joseon, he is thinking of accompanying the envoy to Ming to request investiture.

“And he wants to build a school in Ryukyu, so he’s asking us to send some scholars.”

“Maae studied in Joseon, so he seems to be very interested in orthodox learning (正學).”

Whether it’s On Sado or Maae, they grew up in Joseon, so it’s not strange that they have the idea of turning Ryukyu into a Confucian state.

Neo-Confucianism is also the best way to centralize power.

“So, how did you dispose of them?”

“I told him to recommend someone to send to Teacher Ya-eun.”

“Well done. Ya-eun will find a suitable person.”

Lee Bang-won nodded and said.

“You’ve gained some experience now. Even when unexpected things happen, you know how to take care of the aftermath.”

“I’m still lacking.”

I scratched my head and replied.

Lee Bang-won stepped back from this matter, telling me to handle it myself.

So, I really handled it myself, and I’m glad he seems to like it.

“I think it would be better for you to take care of diplomatic issues yourself.”

Although he doesn’t show it, Lee Bang-won must be very heartbroken by the death of his grandfather.

However, diplomacy between countries also has its own etiquette, so shouldn’t the king take care of it himself?

That’s what I thought.

Then Lee Bang-won dropped a bombshell.

“Then you can sit on the dragon throne.”

Excuse me?

< Dragon Throne (1) > End

ⓒ Pitkong